


Time to Breathe

by guineamania



Series: DC TV-Verse One-Shots [5]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, Guilt and Regret
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 07:39:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8881720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guineamania/pseuds/guineamania
Summary: Oliver carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and sometimes that can crush a man.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hanorganaas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanorganaas/gifts).



> For hanorganaas on 1MW, sorry for the delay

No one would ever truly understand the relationship between Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak. They had split up and made up so many times and no other relationship had ever come close to matching the roaring flames of their passion when they were together. A few had come close, John had understood Oliver’s need to be close to the blonde and make sure she was safe and Ray had stepped away from Felicity when he saw how much she needed Oliver to be by her side. But no one had seen the deeper desire the relationship. It had taken the two themselves long enough to give in to the need. Oliver Queen was the Arrow and the mayor, the saviour of Star City, but a single man can’t hold all that responsibility and power all at once. His hunt for a deputy mayor was still unsuccessful after Quentin checked himself into rehab so no reprieve was granted there. John’s return and the team’s training was taking somethings off his shoulders but then Prometheus was piling it all back on again. It was a high stress situation knowing that the villain terrorising his city was one of his own creation. His demons were once again spilling out and hurting those he cares about. Felicity was there, Felicity had been there through thick and thin even when their personal relationship was in the midst of a storm, Felicity could be relied on to help save the day. Felicity knew that sometimes Oliver needed to let go and he couldn’t do it himself. His fight against his personal demons was an enduring one and more often than not it looked like the demons in his mind were going to win. Felicity wasn’t a vigilante, she didn’t have ninja skills but once in a while Oliver needed someone else to take control and fight his demons. Felicity would do that for him.

 

All it took was one text. Felicity was down in the lair, she spent a lot of time down there now that she was unemployed. It was hard to find a new job after being fired as CEO from your last one; and she needed time after Havenrock. Her phone buzzed and chimed with Oliver’s signature ringtone and she fumbled for it, not looking away from the screen. “What’s up?” Felicity asked, but was only met with intense fast breathing.

“Oliver, what’s wrong?” Felicity exclaimed, loading up the GPS she had put into every pair of shoes he owned. You couldn’t be careful enough when you were trying to keep track of a self-sacrificing hero. He was in the Glades, at Verdant, or more likely the underground Arrow base underneath Verdant. None of them had been there in a long time even after Oliver had dismantled the vigilante task force and the watch on their old base was terminated. He had no reason to be down there.

“I can’t do it, I can’t do it anymore,” Oliver wheezed, his voice catching in his throat.

“It’s going to be okay. Stay calm,” Felicity spoke softly, throwing on her jacket and leaving Diggle in charge of the team. It was just simple crime fighting, they didn’t need her and Oliver did.

 

The lights were off and Felicity carefully stepped down the old wire stairs. Dust coated everything as she tried to pick out figures in the dark. Oliver knew she was here, she didn’t need to announce herself to him. Everything was covered with sheets and boxes of stock were shoved in the gaps where the team used to roam. Felicity turned on the lights and found Oliver sat on the floor in front of his old suit case. The suits had been taken in the sudden move but the metal figures still remained. His hair was artfully ruffled and the low light highlighted the bags under his eyes. The suit jacket had been discarded on top of a box of cheap spirits and dirt and grim was staining his crisp white shirt. Felicity had not seen him this bad since the period of mourning for Laurel. “Hey you,” Felicity whispered, smoothing out her bright yellow dress to sit down next to him on the cold floor.

“Hey,” Oliver managed to choke out between deep breaths.

“What do you need?” Felicity asked as Oliver wrung his hands and was transfixed on the movements of his scarred and worn digits. “I can drag you out of your head kicking and screaming or you can tell me what you need Oliver because I am not leaving here without you,” Felicity wrestled one of his hands and cradled it in hers.

“It’s all because of me, so many dead because of me,” Oliver muttered under his breath, digging his nails into his leg. Felicity cradled his jaw in her hand and lifted his eyes to meet hers.

“It’s not your fault, it’s never your fault. You protect people not kill them. Prometheus kills people and we are going to stop him,” Felicity stared into his deep blue eyes.

“I created Prometheus, I am at fault. Just think of all the villains I have brought to this city,” Oliver continued but his rigid energy was beginning to fade.

“And we’ll fight them all. Together, always.” Oliver collapsed against her and Felicity ran her fingers through his hair. The lights shimmered against the metal container. This place was a relic, but it endured. As their team had endured.


End file.
